Unofficial news and tips about Google

April 22, 2010

Google Maps Adds Kinetic Scrolling

Google Maps has been updated and it now uses kinetic scrolling, a feature inspired by operating systems designed for touch screens. Click on the map, quickly move your mouse and then release it. You'll notice that the map continues to move with the momentum created after you released the mouse.

Now that mobile Google Maps uses the buttons from the desktop interface and both interfaces use kinetic scroll, Google Maps is more consistent.

"Kinetic scrolling is the popular term to denote the scrolling of a long list with a bit of physics so that user feels like moving a wheel. Such a list view is then often referred as a flick list, caused the scrolling involves some sort of flicking gestures. Made popular in iPhone, flick list quickly invades other mobile platforms with touch screen because it just feels so natural and more usable than using the conventional approach of scroll bars," explains Ariya Hidayat.

I agree 100% with Jwijnings. The kinetic scrolling has too much hysteresis, and it just doesn't work on a non-touchscreen device. It's as if the map has a mind of its own and keeps on moving when it shouldn't (that is, when you're trying to read the text after you finish scrolling). It makes you feel like you need to grip the mouse more tightly just to get control of the interface. Google should ditch this useless Aero-like gimmicky feature ASAP.

This kinetic scrolling is AWFUL! Normal mouse (or touchpad) use constantly sends Google maps veering uncontrollably east or west, and never ever stopping (I just have to close the window). I've run across many many similar complaints from other users. Maybe I'm just an old (32-yr-old) fogey who clings to using intuitive movements, rather than internalizing Apple's proprietary Gesture system, but really, why do you have to let Apple ruin Google Maps? How can I disable this thing?